Coventry City 2 Leeds United 3: match report

Read a full match report of the Championship game between Coventry City and
Leeds United at Ricoh Arena
on Saturday Nov 6 2010.

Up for it: Andrew Hughes, a second-half substitute for Leeds United, celebrates their victoryPhoto: ACTION IMAGES

By David McVay at Ricoh Arena

8:00PM GMT 06 Nov 2010

How many times in the course of a lifetime does the neutral leave a football ground feeling empathy for Leeds United? If the answer is an entirely predictable 'never’, then that legion of non-partisan supporters should have been at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, where the visitors prevailed in a rousing contest of contrasting styles.

Despite Coventry City’s spirited second-half recovery, Leeds emerged with their third successive away win, a victory for fluent football that lifted them to the fringes of the play-off places.

Even their often maligned followers deserved credit, booing substitute Marlon King’s every touch, a timely prick of the Coventry conscience, perhaps, after their decision to employ a player who has only recently been released from prison following his conviction last year for sexual assault and actual bodily harm on a slight 20 year-old student.

Those 6,000 travelling fans were rewarded early on when Jonathan Howson headed Leeds into a fourth-minute lead after a clever dink across the six-yard box by Robert Snodgrass.

The same combination created what should have been a second goal, but Howson’s header was off target this time. However, Snodgrass redeemed his captain just before half-time with a fine left-foot shot to double the lead.

Related Articles

This was the largest league crowd, 28,184, at the Ricoh Arena since it opened five years ago, the pity being that the lush, flat turf befitting such a splendid stadium is seldom troubled by the crude, long-ball tactics employed by manger Aidy Boothroyd.

But the plan reaped a dividend early in the second half as a high ball into the penalty area eventually fell to Lukas Jutkiewicz whose close-range header reduced the arrears. On the hour, however, Richard Keogh’s clumsy challenge felled Max Gradel in the 18-yard box, and the Leeds winger converted the penalty to restore the two-goal cushion.

That was eroded when Ben Turner’s low effort eluded Leeds goalkeeper Jason Brown in the 64th minute, again the result of a lofted centre falling from the skies. Leeds, though, held on deservedly.

Coventry harbour ambitions that many feel are beyond their station, but they remain in the top six, propped up by a frenetic high-ball tempo that is likely to defeat lesser sides than Leeds.

It causes headaches for opposing defenders but no dilemma for purists, who surely would have acclaimed the beautiful game to which Simon Grayson’s team aspired.

“This was a big win,” said the Leeds manager. “We are playing with confidence and this will be one of the hardest games we will play all season.”